The dominant genes of my family tree have rooted a numeric spin to my DNA double helix...I calculate my steps as I trace stairs or open spaces. It's a cradled trait bequeathed to me from my paternal grandfather and I have passed it umbilically to my son. An inherent tape measure, I rely on it professionally in calibrating the scale of an open space in relation to the anthropometrics (think Vitruvian Man) of the design.
When I saw Thomas Heatherwick's staircase topography for Longchamp's flagship in NYC I was stopped in my tracks. The hot rolled steel installation was akin to scaling the treads of a Steinway. The design expression was so intriguing that it tripped the rise out of my familial run.
